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Graduation Date

Spring 5-13-2023

Document Type

Portfolio - Campus Access Only

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Environmental Studies

School or Department

Environmental Studies

Abstract

The first element of my portfolio discusses vulnerable populations in China who are facing climate change and highlights the need to change top-down systems, so impacted populations will be treated fairly when severe circumstances affect their lifeways. It is critically important to identify cases and causes of environmental justice that result in populations experiencing unjust outcomes. My academic component approaches a critical policy analysis that looks at the disparate outcomes of a migration policy that is being used to monopolize land in the guise of addressing climate change impacts and poverty. My analysis jumps into three cases where ecological migration policy is used in Western China. I critique it while looking at the ecological migration policy through an environmental justice and human rights lens, highlighting the importance of traditional lifeways and their role in keeping landscapes climate resilient. The second element focuses on collaborative research on Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) development in the United States, specifically the Gulf Coast, being a significant threat to climate change. Surprisingly, there have been few comprehensive studies on cumulative impacts on LNG facilities. However, cumulative impact analysis and climate justice analysis are ways to link severe environmental and climate injustices that LNG industries bring to natural and human communities, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities and the environments they rely on. Lastly, my third element encompasses a process assessment of conservation initiatives incorporating climate strategies in management plans. Conservation organizations and partnerships have only just begun to implement climate change strategies, addressing large landscapes that have been impacted by climate impacts for decades. As climate change persists, many landscape conservation initiatives of varying scales are seeing a great need to learn, implement, and share diverse climate strategies. Through interviews with conservation leaders and professionals, I gathered information that contributed to a working paper that aid conservationists around the nation and helps prioritize implementing climate work in daily conservation practices. These three components share a focus on climate change and environmental justice, focusing on understanding each case and trying to bridge solutions.

Keywords

Climate change, Climate resiliency, Environmental justice, Landscape conservation, Policy analysis, Ecological migration, Collaboration, Cumulative assessments

Subject Categories

Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Human Rights Law | Language Interpretation and Translation | Natural Resources and Conservation | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Oil, Gas, and Energy

Supporting Effective and Just Responses to Climate Change Through Policy Analysis, Cumulative Impact Assessments, and a Conservation Initiative Assessment

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